


A Very Tiny Timmy

by LittlePrincePotter



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, I know there is no such thing as nonsexual age play but AO3's tagging system is weird, Mentions of Violence, Minor Bullying, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, This is a sfw age regression fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27568843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlePrincePotter/pseuds/LittlePrincePotter
Summary: In which Tim Drake discovers age regression and Jason Todd discovers he loves his little brother.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 29
Kudos: 155





	1. Celeste

Tim was not the youngest in the family. That was of course, Damian. Although, sometimes Tim secretly wished he was the youngest in the family. Sometimes saw how Dick coddled Damian, how he scooped him up, kissed his head, praised him. At these times, Tim would often be consumed with overwhelming want. He knew that was stupid. Tim was almost 17 years old. He was too old to be fussed over like that. Tim was too old for a lot of things he liked. 

Damian just didn't know how lucky he was. He was a little kid whose family just adored him. Tim never had that. 

And Tim wanted it so badly. Was it wrong? Was it wrong to want to be a kid sometimes? He tried not to think about that too much. 

He wasn't sure when his jealousy of how Damian was babied had started. Had it always been there, or did it develop after Tim started looking into this thing called "age regression?"

Age regression was the action of mentally becoming younger than one's physical self. He had actually discovered it during a case. They were looking for a missing person, so Commissioner Gordon had allowed the Bats access to the girl's apartment. 

The girl had so many stuffed animals she could open a toy store. She had pacifiers refitted for an adult mouth. She had toys and so many other things that Tim couldn't help but wonder at. After the case, Tim had spent hours looking into it. He scrolled through colorful pictures of people with pacifiers and stuffed animals. He read personal accounts of how fun being an age regressor was. Some age regressors even had caregivers. 

Each post he read made him just ache with want, but that want would give way to shame. How could he reconcile wanting to be a baby at his age? He should be thinking about things like going to prom with Connor or moving out and going to college, not binkies and toys. 

Still, he couldn't help himself from buying a stuffed dragon he saw in the store window at the mall one day. It was dark blue with constellations on its stomach. Tim named it Celeste and kept it hidden under his bed from then on. It wasn’t going to be a problem.

Tim found himself unable to sleep without Celeste now. When he moved around his room, Celeste had to come with. If he was working, she was on his desk. If he was showering, she was on the counter by the sink. If he was curled up in bed, Celeste was in his arms. Tim was thoroughly attached to this thing. It made him feel safer. It made him feel… more innocent somehow. Like he had a slightly more optimistic worldview. 

And when Celeste went missing? Tim tore his room apart looking for it. He ripped the sheets off the bed, scoured his closet, even searched his bathroom. 

Tim sat on the floor in the middle of the mess he'd made. His bottom lip was starting to tremble and his eyes pricked with tears. He was about to start crying when his door opened. 

"Looking for something Replacement?" Jason teased, holding Celeste up by her tail. 

Tim got to his feet in a second. "Give that back Jason."

Jason opened his mouth to say something. He had every intention of teasing his younger brother, but Tim's eyes were shining with tears and his face was all red and his room was wrecked. Jason wondered briefly if he'd gone too far. Silently, he tossed the toy back to his brother, who caught it and held it against his chest like it meant the world. Maybe Jason had fucked up. He hadn't actually meant to make Tim look so… small. 

Jason didn't get a chance to apologize before Tim crossed the room, slammed the door, and locked it. 

He slid down the door with his stuffed dragon before burying his face in it. He pulled his knees up and began to cry, letting out little sobs. 

A part of his brain, the part that analyzed anything and everything all the time, noticed how childish he was acting and how tiny he felt. It was like the whole world revolved around this plush toy. He wanted so badly for someone to tell him it was alright, that he got his toy back. Maybe Dick. Dick was always coddling Damian. Or even Connor. Tim loved Kon. 

But there wasn't anyone. Just him and his stuffed dragon. Tim sniffled before standing with Celeste. He examined her, and when he found her in the condition he had left her in, he set her down in his desk chair and went to make up his bed. He was tired from his melt down. Once he was done, he curled up and cuddled with Celeste, feeling comfort in having the toy. 

He might be regressing, his analytical mind reasoned. No. No it couldn't be that. The people in the pictures looked so different. He just liked his toy, that was all. It was special and Jason had took it to be mean. Why was Jason mean to him? He was Jason's little brother! Jason should be nicer. 

As Tim's thumb found its way into his mouth without his consent, he continued to think about how mean his big brother was, and how he couldn't possibly be regressing. 

Sucking on his thumb with Celeste held close, he drifted to sleep.


	2. Baby's First Binky

Dick was driving them to school the next day. That was part of his whole deal with Jason. If Jason would move back into the manor and go back to school, then Dick would move back in too. 

Jason sat up front, rolling his eyes as Dick played the same Kesha song for the umpteenth time. Damian sat in the back with Tim, but the child was engrossed with his phone. Probably texting his one friend from school. 

Tim decided to pull out his own phone. He opened a social media app, and the first thing that came up was a picture of an age regressor. He quickly looked around to see if Damian had seen it. The boy didn't seem to have noticed so Tim looked back to his screen. The girl was showing off her pacifier collection. It was huge. Tim had been wondering if he should get one. They sounded so relaxing. Plus, he was really starting to enjoy sucking his thumb. 

Should he get one? Maybe. He could get a pretty color. Tim liked green. But was that going too far? Was that too much?

A voice startled him from his thoughts. 

"Tim?" 

"Um yeah?"

Dick turned to look at him. "Are you… gonna get out of the car?"

Tim blushed. He hadn't even noticed they were parked and his other brothers had already gotten out of the car. He quickly grabbed his backpack and lunchbox and exited the car. 

"I love you all!" Dick yelled as he put the car in reverse, "Be good!"

"Yes Grayson."

"No."

"Okay Dick," Tim said as their older brother drove away. 

…

Class was boring, as usual. Tim put his head down on his desk, using his arms as a pillow. He wanted to be at home. He wanted to be curled up with Celeste in his arms, sucking on his thumb. His cheeks heated up at the thought, but he couldn't push it away. It sounded so comforting. His little fantasy changed a little as he considered what he could purchase. He thought about a pacifier again, and somehow that seemed even more satisfying. Maybe he could even get a Batman themed one, although part of him thought that that might be a little too cheesy. Maybe he should get one with a cute animal theme on it instead. Like birds or puppies or turtles. 

Tim squirmed slightly in his seat as he thought about it. Maybe one with stars on it, to match Celeste! Yes that was perfect! 

Laughter rang in Tim's ears and he looked up. His nearby classmates were looking at him and laughing. He must have been squirming a lot. He resisted the urge to whine. Instead, he put his hand up. 

The teacher had already been looking at him. 

"Yes Tim?"

"May I use the restroom?"

"Of course."

More laughter. They must have assumed the squirming was from a full bladder and not the excitement over deciding to buy a pacifier. Tim hurried to the bathroom. He closed the stall door and sat down. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, he pulled out his phone. Pulling up Etsy, he began flicking through the listings for adult pacifiers. 

He gasped quietly as he stumbled upon a really pretty dark blue one, with a plastic pale yellow star in the center. It was glittery and had stars painted on it. The handle had more little plastic stars on it. 

Tim loved it. Without thinking he clicked add to cart, and immediately bought it. He squirmed happily in his spot as that familiar, relaxing mist settled over his mind. Celeste would love it!

A knock on the stall door startled them. Their thumb left their mouth with a quiet pop and they quickly stood to open the stall door. 

There was Damian, in his Gotham Academy uniform. 

"Drake. What are you doing?"

"Using the bathroom. What are you doing?"

"Tt. I saw you rush past my classroom. I came to investigate." 

"I'm fine. I just had to use the bathroom."

Damian narrowed his tiny green eyes and looked Tim up and down. His eyes landed on the phone in Tim's hand. 

"Let me see your phone."

"Um, hell no?" Tim quickly held it up high where Damian couldn't reach it without some type of antics. "If you try to take my phone, I'll tell Dick you weren't behaving at school."

Usually, this wouldn't be a threat to Damian, but Dick's 'I'm disappointed in you face' was a lethal weapon around Wayne manor. 

Damian grit his teeth. "Very well. But I will figure out what you're up to Drake."

Tim pocketed his phone. "I'm not 'up to anything," he lied, "Just go back to class."

The boy glared at him one last time before leaving. Tim let out a long sigh of relief as the door to the bathroom closed behind Damian. 

…

A week later, Alfred left a cardboard box on Tim's nightstand. As Tim came in the room, he had to resist the urge to squeal. It was here!

Tim ripped open the box and pulled out his pretty star pacifier. The pleasant haze they were becoming more and more familiar with came back to their mind as they popped it in their mouth. 

Bliss. It was absolutely bliss.

His lips made a little sucking sound as it went back and forth in their mouth. It felt like it belonged there and Tim never wanted to take it out. Tim reached under their bed and pulled out Celeste. Curling up, they held Celeste close, suckling on their pacifier. Their eyes drooped closed for an afternoon nap.


	3. An Unfortunate Discovery

Over the next few weeks, Tim acquired more age regression gear. An adult baby bottle, a onesie with stars on it, even some soft cloth training pants. He never actually used his training pants for their intended purpose, but they were so comfy. Also, they had stars on them. 

His family started noticing a change. "Morning Jason, Cass, Duke, Damian, Dick, Bruce, and Alfred!" Tim practically sang as they walked into the kitchen. Everyone froze. 

"Master Timothy, you aren't due to be awake for another ten minutes," Alfred said, his eyebrows upward in shock. 

"I know! I just woke up on my own today!" He took a seat at the table, smiling ear to ear. 

"Sleep well?" Bruce asked, concerned more than anything else.

"Yeah! I've been sleeping so good lately!" And it was true. He had. His pacifier was putting him right to sleep at night. 

"Drake are you on drugs?" Damian piped.

Tim frowned. "No. Why?"

"You are acting disturbingly jovial."

Tim felt himself blush. "Well I just… I've been sleeping well is all."

"Is that really all, Replacement?"

He could feel the tips of his ears turning pink. 

"Now boys," Alfred said as he set some toast down in front of Tim, "There is no reason to pick on your brother for being in a good mood. It would be appreciated if a civil breakfast could take place."

Jason and Damian at least had the sense to look a bit ashamed. No one liked being chastised by Alfred. 

…

School was torture. Tim really wanted to continue wanting the Octonauts. It was a cartoon about a team of non-sea creatures saving sea creatures. Tim adored it, and he was already on season 2.

At lunch, Jason sat next to him. 

"What are you doing?" Tim asked.

"Can't I sit next to my baby brother?"

"You can, but you don't unless you want something."

Jason smirked. Tim couldn't help but think Jason looked a bit like the devil when he got smug. "I just wanna know little Timmy's new secret."

Tim scoffed. "Go away Jason."

"Gonna make me?"

At this point, Tim packed his lunch back in its box, got up and moved. 

….

This joyous behavior would continue for a week. Tim's tone change was incredible. He was acting more like Dick than like Tim. He would stroll down to breakfast early. He would say good morning. Tim became more talkative in the car to and from school. His dependence on caffeine almost disappeared. Tim was much more affectionate: giving his family hugs and he even gave Damian a little watercolor kit he had found for the boy. 

Even Red Robin was cheery. He could be heard humming a tune through the comms every now and then. If he patrolled with someone else, he'd chatter to them, asking them about their day. Except Cassandra. For her, he would sign. 

Bruce tested his blood for drugs during the week. The results came back negative and Bruce even received another hug before Tim went to his own room. 

It was a small miracle. 

….

The octonauts played on Tim's tablet next to his bed as he was laying down, snuggled up with Celeste. His pacifier was moving lazily in and out of his mouth. Tonight he had opted for his training pants and his onesie. His bottle was full of warm milk that he sipped from every so often. Everything was perfect. He was just a little baby snuggled up comfy and safe with not a single worry in the world. No one to impress. Nothing to do. 

Eventually, Tim drifted off. 

Laughter was what awoke him. At first, he thought maybe it was part of the show, then he felt his pacifier get pulled from his lips. He opened his eyes only to see Jason above him, holding his pacifier and laughing. 

"Seriously what is this?" Jason said as he chuckled, "You pretending to be a baby or something?"

Tim's lungs malfunctioned. Jason was here. In his room. While he was like this. 

"And are you wearing a diaper? That's low for even you, Replacement."

Tim didn't know why the words hurt so much. Maybe it was because they were so regressed right now. Maybe it was because that sweet mist in their mind had been poisoned and blown away, leaving them dizzy and desperate in its absence. 

Whatever the reason, Tim couldn't help it when he broke down crying. Hot tears poured down his cheeks at a rapid pace as sobs wrecked their throat. He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't look at Jason. Because Jason was going to tell everyone and everyone was going to hate him. The sobs just kept coming, and at one point he was crying so hard he thought he might throw up. 

By the time Tim finally quieted down to a few hiccups and sniffles, he opened his eyes to see Jason was gone. Tim's pacifier was resting on his nightstand and his bedroom door was closed. 

Tim's entire body burned with humiliation. He ripped off his onesie and training pants like the clothes were on fire. Shoving them in a suitcase in the back of his close. He then threw the bottle and pacifier in a drawer. Self-loathing electrified every cell in his body as he put on regular clothes. He laid down on his bed after shoving Celeste under it. The tablet was locked and the happy sounds of cartoons gave way to a quiet room.


	4. A Discovery's Aftermath

The next morning, Alfred came in and opened the curtains. It had been at least a week since he had to wake up Tim, so he was a bit surprised. 

As the sunlight hit Tim, he let out a pained whimper. 

"Master Timothy?" Alfred asked, "Are you alright?"

The butler moved to see him better. There were deep bags under Tim's eyes and his face was red. Faint tear tracks were visible on his cheeks. It was obvious he'd been crying all night. 

"Master Timothy?" Alfred said, a little softer this time. 

"Actually Alfred, I don't feel good," he said. It wasn't really a lie. His head hurt from crying, "Can I stay home please?"

Alfred stood there for a minute, examining the teen's tear stained face. "Very well. I will bring some toast up for you in a bit."

"Thanks Alfred."

…

"Where's Timmy?" Dick asked as he checked the time on his phone. "He should be up by now."

"Master Timothy is not feeling well. He will be staying home today. Master Bruce please do call in his absence before you leave for work."

Jason felt guilt settle in him. Tim had been practically skipping down the stairs for an entire week, and now he wasn't coming down at all. That wasn't his fault. Right? 

Right?

…

Tim dragged himself out of bed sometime around noon. Neglecting the food Alfred had brought up for him, he moved over to his desk and sat down at his computer. There were plenty of open cases to work. He'd do that. 

And he did. For hours. The next time he looked away from the screen, it was dark outside. The only reason he looked up was because there was someone behind his desk chair. 

"Drake."

"What do you want Damian?"

"I have come to see your condition."

"I'm fine."

The boy's eyes fell on the breakfast by Tim's bed. "You haven't eaten."

"No."

"All day?"

"Not hungry."

"Drake, you are acting like a spoiled child. It is unbecoming of a member of the house of Wayne."

Tim's fingers tensed on the keyboard. "Me existing is unbecoming, as you and everyone else have made it very, very clear!" He snapped. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes again. "Just get out."

Damian didn't move. He stared at Tim for a moment. "Patrol is soon."

Ah yes patrol. With Jason. 

"Tell Bruce I don't feel good," he said as a single tear fell down his cheek, "I'm not coming."

The boy watched him for a little while longer before exiting without saying a word. Tim put his face in his hands as he heard his door click shut. 

…

"Status report everyone."

"It's quiet over here!" Stephanie chimed. 

"Empty," Cassandra said. 

"I helped a lady find her cat but otherwise I got nothing," Dick called.

"I stopped a mugging but it's like a graveyard out here," Jason said. 

"Robin and I haven't found much either," Bruce said. 

"Hey, where's Red Robin?" Stephanie asked. 

"He said he did not feel well," Damian answered, "He will not be joining us tonight."

Jason stopped dead in his tracks on the rooftop he had been walking across. Something solid and heavy settled in the pit of his stomach. He'd fucked up, hadn't he? Okay maybe. Maybe he'd fucked up just a tiny bit. But Tim would be okay on his own eventually, right?

…

Wrong. 

Tim didn't get better. Tim got worse. He stayed home from school for three days. When he was dragged down for meals he was quiet. On patrol he didn't talk more than he had to. His caffeine intake was double what it had been before and he was slowly becoming more and more exhausted. 

Everyone was getting worried. 

There was a knock at Tim's door as he laid in bed with his eyes open. When Tim didn't answer, Dick slowly opened the door. 

"Timmy?"

"Yeah Dick?"

"Can I come in?"

"I guess."

Tim heard Dick step in and close the door. Dick made his way over to Tim's bed. "Can I turn your lamp on?"

"Mhm."

The lamp clicked on, revealing Tim's form, curled in on himself. 

"Hey little bird. Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

When Tim didn't answer, Dick started gently rubbing his back. He tensed at the touch at first, then slowly relaxed. 

"Hey Dick?" 

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you for something weird?"

"Go for it."

"... you know how you put Damian on your lap?"

"Yeah?"

Silence. 

Dick smiled a little. "You wanna sit on my lap Tim?"

"Yes please."

"Okay scoot over."

Tim moved, allowing Dick to sit against the headboard. Dick then leaned down and helped Tim situate himself so he was sitting sideways across his big brother's lap. 

"You wanna be rocked?" Dick whispered. 

"Yeah." Tim's voice sounded heavy, like this simple act of affection overwhelmed him. 

Dick rocked him just a little, like he did to Damian. Tim wrapped his arms around the oldest's neck and buried his face in his shoulder. Dick rubbed his back as he rocked his little brother. 

Tim practically went limp. It was only his whimpers when Dick tried to let him go that showed Dick he was still conscious. This worried the man a little bit more. Timmy was never affectionate like this. Dick held Tim for a while, silently. He finally looked over, surprised to see that Tim had his thumb in his mouth, and was sucking it lazily. Dick looked forward again and pretended he didn't see it. Tim could be reactive, and with how unstable he had been lately, Dick worried Tim might not take it well if he said anything. 

Dick rocked Tim until he was sure the younger boy was asleep. Dick gently shifted his brother off his lap and laid him down. His thumb was still firmly stuck in his mouth and he was curled up a little. Dick couldn't help but think his brother was so cute. It was strange to him, but it was cute. Dick tucked him in and left soon after.

Maybe this was why Tim was acting weird lately. He should look into it.


	5. The Consequences of Familial Snooping

Bruce was looking at what was wrong with Tim in a different way. 

However, it was a little hard getting around all the encryption and security Tim installed on all his devices. The kids usually didn’t like it when he broke into their devices, but Tim had drank more than an entire pot of coffee today and he was isolating himself.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. 

He broke through the final firewall onto Tim’s phone. Tim’s phone screen came up on the computer on the batcave. The background was a picture of Connor Kent lifting Tim up bridal style. His apps were arranged by purpose apparently. First, Bruce decided to check which apps Tim had been using the most. He found that in the past week, Tim had mostly been using search engines, news apps, etc. things that related to their work. Alright. He went back further, to the week when Tim had been overjoyed. He found a different picture there. Social media apps were the most-used. He clicked on the most used one and was startled at what he saw.

Pictures of adults, mostly girls, dressed in childish clothing with pacifiers and toys. Bruce scrolled through a little while, all the pictures were bright and happy. It just seemed to be people acting like babies and wanting to be taken care of like children. The term “age regression” popped up constantly. 

After scrolling for a few minutes, he closed the app. He looked back at the list of Tim’s recently used apps. He checked his other social media to find it was filled with similar images and sentiments. 

Bruce hit an app called Etsy. It was a shopping app Dick talked about sometimes so at least he was familiar with it. He hit the recent purchases. Tim had bought a star-themed adult pacifier, a matching onesie, and something that looked like reusable pull-ups. 

The bat wasn’t entirely sure how to feel as he realized just what had been making Tim so happy. It seemed harmless, but if it was so harmless what was different now?

“Baby?” A voice asked. Bruce turned to find Cassandra, looking at the screen. He silently swore that she was the sneakiest thing he’d ever seen. How long had she been standing there? Had she seen everything? It was one thing for Bruce to invade Tim’s privacy out of worry, at least in his mind anyway, but he had revealed it to his daughter too. 

“Did you see all of that?”

“Yes.” Cassandra stared at the things Tim had bought on the screen. Just because her speech was impaired didn’t mean she was stupid. Cassandra walked up to the screen. “Tim is baby.”

Bruce didn’t know what to say, so he just sighed. In truth he didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. He knew why Tim had been happy, but he hadn’t figured out why Tim was so sad now. 

Cassandra tapped his nose. “Bad.” She pointed to Tim’s phone up on the cave computer screen. “Private.”

“I know Cassandra,” He admitted, “but I have to figure out what happened to Tim. He’s spiraling into depression and I…” He ran his hand down his face and sighed, “I want to help.” 

Cassandra seemed to consider this. She also wanted to help Tim. She didn’t understand why Tim would want to be a baby, but there were worse things to be so she didn’t see why understanding it mattered. Also, it seemed to make him really happy. So why wasn’t he happy now? Dancing made her happy, and if something stopped her from being able to do it, she would be upset. Maybe something was impeding Tim acting like a baby.

“Problem being a baby,” she told Bruce. 

It took him a moment to decipher the message, but Bruce nodded. “That would make sense, but it would have had to have happened off of social media because I didn’t see anything to indicate that. You know, if it’s a mental thing, maybe I should ask Harley.” 

Cassandra shrugged her shoulders. She had a different plan. She tapped Bruce’s pocket. Bruce responded by pulling out his wallet, taking out a silver debit card, and handing it to her. “Nothing over a thousand dollars please.” With that, he turned back to his computer to search the words ‘age regression.’ 

...

Tim was drowning his misery in another cup of coffee. He was going to head down to the cave soon and compare information he had collected from news reports and video on the internet against the batcave’s internal files. It was only five am, he noted as he looked at the clock on the stove. Bruce had come back from patrol and would be asleep until at least eleven. Taking his travel mug, he headed down to the cave for a few more hours of work until he crashed.

Damian waited, watching as Drake moved down to the cave. Once the clock had closed behind Drake, he hurried to the older boy’s room. He started by searching his desk, careful to put everything back on its place after he looked. There was nothing interesting there, so he moved to the nightstand. There he had more luck. 

Damian felt his face screw up in disgust as he pulled out a pacifier. The teat was too big for a baby. There was also a baby bottle with a large teat. Was Drake using these? Damian couldn't imagine anyone wanting to behave like a child. Being a child was terrible. He set the objects back in the drawer and closed it. 

The boy continued to search the room. He checked the bed. Nothing was in it, but under it was a stuffed dragon. Next was the closet. There he found clothing that disturbed him. Was this a diaper? He didn't really want to know. 

Damian slipped out of Drake's room, his nose all scrunched up. He made his way down to the batcave. 

"Drake."

"Morning Demon. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Why do you have things for an oversized baby in your room?"

Tim froze at the keyboard, feeling his body turn to ice. His heart stopped and his lungs gave out. Tears appeared at the back of his eyes that hadn't been there before. 

"Drake?"

The older boy stood up at the computer, slamming his palms down as he did. "Jason told you!" He yelled, turning on Damian. 

Damian didn't get a chance to reply. 

"Jason told you! I knew he'd tell everyone!"

Tim was moving past Damian before the boy could correct him. 

…

There was a pounding on Jason's door. He stood and opened it, only to come face to face with his little brother. 

"You told Damian!" Tim yelled, shoving his hands against Jason's chest, "You fucking asshole, you told Damian!" 

"Tim-"

"No! I hate you!" Tim was hitting Jason in the chest with the sides of closed fists now. "I looked up to you! You were my hero! I hate you! I hate you!"

His face bright red, tears steaming down his cheeks as his voice cracked from yelling. 

A pair of arms wrapped around Tim as he shouted. They started pulling him away, pulling him into a hug.

"Tim?" Dick said gently, as he cradled the back of his brother's head. Tim just struggled, not responding. Dick just held him close. "Timmy?"

Jason stood frozen, watching the scene. Dick eventually tucked his arms under Tim's legs to carry him to his bedroom. Jason took a few steps backward and collapsed to sit on his bed. Tim didn't even react that way when Jason tried to kill him. 

Yeah. He fucked up.


	6. The Beginning of Acceptance

Jason slowly opened the door to his brother's room. 

Tim was curled up in bed where Dick had tucked him after Tim's little breakdown. Jason had waited for an hour after Dick left the room to make sure that Tim was asleep.

Jason slowly crept into the room. Alright. He could fix this. Tim was like a baby now. He could work with that. Probably. 

"Um. Hey. Hey Timbo," he said gently, touching his shoulder. 

Blue eyes opened and Tim immediately recoiled. 

"I'm not here to be an ass I swear," Jason said quickly, "I just want to… I don't know. Make it up to you?"

Tim just glared at him. Jason groaned. 

"Okay listen. You're like a baby now right? What can I do for you? Can I make you a bottle?"

Tim's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Are you… serious?"

Jason nodded. "Um yeah. My mom used to make this sweet warm milk to help me sleep. You might like it. Do you want to try it?"

Tim stared for a second before nodding. 

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Jason couldn't believe he was doing this. He poured the milk. He added in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, a bit of nutmeg, and honey. Stirring it, he then put it in the microwave. He returned to Tim's room with the drink. 

The smaller boy was sitting up with his knees tucked to his chest, his blanket wrapped around him like a sheild. Jason approached him slowly. This felt strange, but the image of Tim pounding on his chest was burned into his mind. 

You were my hero! I hate you!

Well first off, Jason didn't think he should be anyone's hero, but that wasn't the point was it? Bruce had been Jason's hero and well…

When it had been really important? Bruce was too late. And Jason still hates him for it sometimes. 

Second, Tim was just a kid. Sure technically Jason was a kid too, but Jason had always taken care of himself. He became an adult the second he took his first steps out into crime alley alone. He became an adult when he died. He became an adult when he dawned his red helmet the first time. At least, that's what Jason told himself. 

Tim was just some rich kid whose parents hadn't loved him. Jason couldn't help but think he'd been too rough on the kid. 

"Where's your bottle?" Jason asked as he got to the bedside. 

"Nightstand. Top drawer." 

Jason pulled out the strange object and carefully filled it with the milk. "It's hot," he said as he passed it to Tim. The boy took it with hands still covered by the fabric of his fluffy bedspread. Hesitantly, he took the teat of the bottle into his mouth, side-eying Jason the whole time. 

When the milk was halfway gone, Tim spoke. "This is good."

Jason noticed how his voice seemed to have gone up in pitch slightly. "Glad you like it Kid. I'm gonna leave you alone now okay?"

Tim nodded. He hadn't uncurled himself or looked Jason in the eye the entire time. Those might as well have been giant neon signs telling Jason that he had a lot of work to do before Tim trusted him again.

…

"Baby brother!" Cassandra said as she knocked on his door. 

"Come on in Cass." Tim was a little confused. She never called him baby brother. 

She entered, holding shopping bags. "Presents."

Tim turned in his desk chair, looking at her. "You got me presents?"

"Mhm."

She handed him a shopping bag. He pulled out a soft blanket with stars on it. He smiled at how nice the fabric felt on his hands. Tim reached into another bag and felt his face turn a nice shade of pink as he realized this bag was full of toys. 

"Cass I- how did you-"

She leaned forward and tapped his nose, interrupting him. "My baby brother." 

Tim felt tears prick his eyes, but he wasn't sure if he felt happy or betrayed. "Did Jason tell you?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"Promise." 

"Then how did you know?"

"Bruce."

The blood that had gathered behind Tim's cheeks quickly rushed away as his face paled. Bruce knew? Well he was a great detective so that made sense but Tim had been so careful! He couldn't belive Bruce found out. 

"Okay?"

Tim's mind snapped back to the moment. "What? Yeah. Yeah I think I'm okay. Does everyone know?"

Cassandra seemed to think about this for a moment. "Not Duke. Maybe others."

That sort of made sense. You could only get away with so much in a house full of detectives. However, Duke was their day-time vigilante, so he didn't see Duke nearly as much as the others. He was usually gone for patrol before everyone else even got up for breakfast. Tim didn't know how to feel about everyone apparently knowing though. 

"Baby brother?"

"Yeah Cass?"

"Love."

"I love you too." 

Cass sat on the floor as she watched Tim unpack all of his presents. There were a plethora of different toys to play with. She got him a toy train, stuffed animals, toy cars, etc. Tim felt his heart swell at this. 

"You're a really good sister Cass," he said, "I appreciate it. Really I do. This- this is so nice."

Cassandra stood and slowly wrapped him in a hug. Tim hugged her back and buried his face in her shoulder. 

"Play?"

"You're asking if you can play with me?"

"Yes."

Tim hesitated, but he nodded. He could feel his regression slowly creeping up in his mind as he looked at his new toys. When he was released, he got on the floor and wrapped his new blanky around him. He grabbed a big container of building blocks. He figured Cassandra had never gotten to play with blocks. 

"Wanna make a city together?"

"Yes!"


	7. Papa's Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a short chapter, sorry!

Bruce had been reading what he could on regression. He even called Harley and they had a long conversation. 

He didn't know if he should approach his son, and if he should, what he would say. Still, he took it upon himself to check on Tim every once in a while. Look for any signs of him regressing when they were in a dangerous situation. 

Tim hadn't regressed in the field so far, but Bruce worried anyway. 

Maybe that's why he noticed Tim was different tonight. They had gotten back from patrol and everyone else had gone upstairs. Tim was still there, in his Red Robin costume not moving. 

"Tim?" Bruce asked as he removed his cowl, "are you injured?"

The boy stared at him before saying "no" in a very high pitched voice. 

Bruce was taken aback by how tiny his voice sounded. "Okay. Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"I just… want a hug."

The bat blinked. He slowly approached Tim and wrapped him in his arms. "This is all you need?"

Tim nodded, resting his face against Bruce's chest. The man slowly started to rub Tim's back. Usually Dick was his only affectionate child, so this was new. 

"Hey Tim," Bruce said with a softness that very few could ever say they had been graced with, "how old are you right now?"

"I dunno," the boy replied, "maybe two?"

Bruce hummed his acknowledgement. "Okay. Do you need help getting into some pajamas?"

"Nu-uh, but can you wait for me?"

"Sure thing. Get cleaned and changed."

Bruce waited at the computer for his ward. He had changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt before filing tonight's reports. 

"Master Timothy has not returned upstairs," Alfred observed as he brought some tea down for his employer. 

"He's cleaning up and getting changed," Bruce replied, "He's regressed right now."

"Ah. Well then maybe he would enjoy a cookie and milk before bed?"

Bruce felt his lips twitch up. "Sweets before bed Alfred? Never thought I'd see the day." 

"Treats are called for every once in a while."

"Papa?" 

Bruce and Alfred turned to see Tim. His hair was still wet, but he had changed into the softest pajamas he owned. They were a nice dark green color. Bruce's heart soared as he heard the term come from his third son. 

"Ready for bed, Tim?"

"Mhm. Gonna take me?"

"Sure Tim." Bruce stood and scooped up his teenage son, placing him on his hip. He was always glad that he remained bigger than his children. He loathed the day he wouldn't be able to lift them. "Alfred is going to bring you a cookie and some milk. Sound good?"

Tim wrapped his arms around Bruce's neck and looked over his shoulder at Alfred. He beamed at the older man. "Yeah!" 

The butler returned a warm smile. "I shall bring them to your room."

Bruce carried Tim up to his room, bouncing him gently along the way. When he got there, he carefully pulled back Tim's blankets and laid him down. The man sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his boy's stomach until Alfred arrived. 

The butler came in with a warm chocolate cookie and a glass of milk. Tim gave a small squeal as he saw it. Alfred only smiled. 

The men waited quietly while Tim ate. Sometimes Bruce would take a napkin and gently wipe away leftover milk and crumbs. Tim would give a happy little hum when he did. 

The cookie was eventually finished and the milk was polished off. "Go brush your teeth now Tim," Bruce said gently. Tim nodded and hurried to his bathroom. When he returned, Bruce tucked him in, and sat with him until he was fast asleep. 

As the man left the room, he spotted his youngest son in the hallway. 

"What are you doing awake Damian?" He asked as he carefully shut the door. 

Damian looked away from his father briefly, fidgeting with his hands. "Drake got a cookie and milk before bed."

Bruce chuckled and crouched down to Damian's level. "Would you like a cookie and milk before bed?"

The boy nodded and Bruce looked back at Alfred. 

"Right away Master Damian." 

As Alfred walked toward the kitchen, Bruce scooped Damian up just as he had done to Tim. As he felt his youngest snuggle into his shoulder, Bruce wondered what he'd done to be blessed with such wonderful children?


	8. To Love Your Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some violence is in this chapter.

Babying Tim was becoming more of a regular household occurrence. The boy had even started carrying Celeste around the house. 

However, in spite of Jason making up a warm drink for Tim that one time, it seemed that the wounds from Jason's words were still open and fresh. Tim would recoil from him if he was regressing around the house. If he was sitting on Dick's lap while Dick read him a story and Jason walked in, Tim would hide his face in their eldest brother's shoulder. 

Jason told himself he was fine with it. Really, he was. He didn't need to be involved in babying his almost-adult little brother. 

"Jaybird," Dick sang as he walked into the kitchen, "I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it Dickhead?"

"Bruce has to go off-world today and Wally just requested my help in Central City. Can you take Tim out today?"

Jason internally groaned. "Where does he need to go?"

"No where in particular. Just get him out of the house for a while. Go to the park. Go see a movie. Something fun ya know? Please? For me?"

"You're lucky I like you Dickhead," Jason replied, "you owe me one."

…

Walking through the mall, Tim and Jason didn't talk much. Jason was thinking about grabbing some new shirts. B had given him one of his debit cards to take Tim shopping. He was busy looking at a pretzel stand until he felt Tim's hand grab Jason's quickly. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, whipping his head around to what Tim was looking at. Instead of being upset, Tim was beaming. He was beaming at a store: a Build-a-Bear to be exact. Tim tugged Jason insistently to the entrance of the store, but the older had no intention of going any further. "Alright. Go on. Make your bear or whatever."

Tim looked back at Jason with a hint of a point on his lips, gently tugging on Jason's hand. 

"You can make it by yourself," Jason said. 

Tim held Jason's hand with both of his now. "Please Jay?" 

Something inside Jason twisted up a little at the way Tim sounded so desperate. Reluctantly, he allowed himself to be led into the store. 

Tim picked out a bear. Jason watched as the employee did things like making him rub the little fabric heart that went in the bear over his own chest. He held Jason's hand as he picked out clothes for his new bear. Tim was smiling and happy. 

And it might have been just a tiny bit cute. 

Tim insisted on carrying the bear out of the store. He beamed at Jason as they left. "Thank you Jay."

Jason felt a smile creep onto his face. "Yeah yeah. Why don't we hit up a few more stores, then grab something to eat?" 

Tim nodded happily. 

They got some t-shirts. Tim got a Sonic the Hedgehog jacket for Bart, some cute sunglasses for Kon, and a muscle shirt that said "I could bench press you" on the front for Cassie. 

Jason was busy looking at a studded leather jacket when Tim tugged on his hand. "Jayjay?" 

"Yeah Timmers?" He looked up to see that Tim had bought himself a jacket too. It was light green and had frog-like eyes on the hood with a little smile. It was too big for him, and the sleeves fell down over his knuckles. Alright. That was just a tiny bit cute. 

"Hungry."

Jason checked his watch. It was a little passed five. "Yeah I guess it is time for dinner. Mexican sound good?"

Tim nodded, ignoring the sly looks from the cashier as his younger brother held his hand and bounced. Tim was a little small, especially next to Jason's muscular figure. He could probably pass for a younger kid, especially in his new froggie jacket. Maybe. Jason hoped anyway. 

…

The Mexican place Jason liked wasn't crowded. Tim wanted to sit in a booth. He had brought in his teddy bear, refusing to let it go. He sat in the booth seat across from Jason, happily digging into a quesadilla. Jason got the burrito he always got from there and he was flirting with their waitress. When she left, he turned to Tim. 

"Have a good day?"

"Mhm!"

"Wanna go home after this?"

"Movies!" 

Jason suppressed the urge to sigh. Of course he wanted to go to the movies. Jason just wanted to go home and chill. But he supposed it was just one movie and he did agree to this. 

"Alright. Movies it is then," he said, "But we're going to the theater that serves beer."

…..

Tim picked the movie, which is how Jason ended up watching, of all things, Trolls 2. His little brother only released his hand to eat his m&ms or drink his blue raspberry icee. 

"Did you have fun?" Jason asked as Tim hummed a song from the movie. Tim nodded at him. Good. Now Dick would be satisfied. Jason hadn't had anything to drink though. Didn't want to drive home like that. He stopped by the refreshments on the way home. 

"I'm grabbing a beer for home," Jason informed his bouncing little brother, whose lips were still tinted blue from his own drink, "want anything?"

"Icee!"

Jason rolled his eyes but he smiled. He slid his fake ID across the counter. "Yeah okay. One Bud Light and one blue raspberry Icee please."

Tim wrapped a hand around his Icee with the sleeve of his froggie jacket wrapped around his fingers so his hand wouldn't be cold. His other hand continued to grip Jason's. 

Jason was a bit happy for Tim's grip as they walked to the car. It was dark, and the parking lot was mostly empty. He needed to make sure Tim stayed close. He opened up the passenger door of the car Bruce let him borrow and removed Tim's teddy bear from the passenger seat before handing it to him. He was about to move out of the way to let his brother in the car when a voice interrupted then. 

"Is that Tim Drake?" Someone said. Tim froze in place. 

A group of kids that Jason figured were from Tim's grade advanced toward them. 

"What are you wearing Freak?" Said the lead boy. Tim recognized him as Brandon Howards. Jason recognized him as the guy that needed to shut the hell up. 

"Is that a teddy bear? What are you, five?" 

A chorus of laughter broke out, and Tim inched closer to Jason. The older felt something akin to rage light up underneath his skin when he saw how Tim moved toward him for protection. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna need you all to back the fuck up," Jason said. 

"Aw big brother gonna protect you now?" Brandon cooed before another bought of laughter, "Well I suppose someone you're related to has to tolerate you at least." 

Bruce always said to think before you act. You should always act carefully. So Jason gave it a thought. 

And then he smashed his beer bottle across Brandon's face. 

The other boy went down hard as shattered glass skid across the pavement. Jason looked up at the group, who had now gone quiet. 

"Now when you take your buddy to the hospital, you're gonna say he fell off his bike trying to do a stupid trick," Jason announced, "and you're gonna say this because I can figure out where all of you live and you value your safety. That clear?"

The group nodded quickly as Jason brandished the part of the bottle he still held, which was sharp and jagged. 

"You aren't gonna make fun of my little brother. If I get even an inkling that you're picking on Tim, you're gonna wish you were the guy on the pavement right now. Got it?"

The others gave terrified nods again. A short silence stretched between them and Jason. 

"Well?" The older boy finally barked, "what are you waiting for? Get the fuck out of my sight."

Two of them scrambled forward to grab their unconscious friend before fleeing in the opposite direction. Jason looked to his brother. 

"Get in the car Timmy. And hand me one of those wet wipes from the glove box." 

Tim did as told and Jason went about wiping his fingerprints from the neck of the bottle before chucking it in a nearby trash can. He hopped in the front seat of the car and turned the engine over. The ride back to the manor was silent except for the music coming through the radio. The others had already left for patrol when they returned so it was just Tim and Jason. Well and Alfred. He was probably around here somewhere. 

"Jayjay?"

"Yeah Timmy?"

His little brother pulled something out of his shopping bag and pinned it to Jason's chest. It was a purple button that said "You Are Loved" in white lettering. Jason stared at it. 

"You got this for me?" Tim took one of Jason's hands with both of his again. Jason felt a small smile form. "Alright kid, you win. Go get ready for bed. I'll make you a bottle okay?"

"Okay!"

………………………………….

Jason found himself taking more regular care of Tim. Of course the boy didn't need constant attention. He still did his school work, work for Wayne Enterprises, and his work as Red Robin. Things were just a little different now. Tim sat next to Jason at lunch everyday. Sometimes, if Tim regressed at school, Jason would even cut his lunch up for him. 

Tim also really liked when Jason read to him apparently. Jason would be laying on his bed with his nose in a book and he would suddenly be greeted by a snuggly little brother who wanted him to read aloud. Jason would wrap an arm around Tim and read until the younger boy was fast asleep on his chest. 

Today, Jason had made Tim a bottle. It wasn't warm milk, since it was the afternoon and not bedtime and Tim didn't want a nap today. It was apple juice. He carried the bottle up to Tim's room. His brother was in his training pants, onesie, and oversized froggie jacket. 

"Jayjay!" Tim squealed as Jason entered, looking up from his complex lego creation. 

"Hi Timmy." Jason leaned down and scooped Tim up onto his hip with ease. The two moved over to the bed, and Jason adjusted Tim in his lap until the younger seemed comfortable. He pressed the teat of the bottle against Tim's mouth, and the younger boy began enthusiastically suckling. It didn't take long for the bottle to empty. Jason removed it from Tim's mouth, and replaced it with a green pacifier. Tim was curling into him, holding onto the front of his shirt. 

"You're cute Timmy," Jason whispered, making his brother let out a happy squeal, "You ready to go play now?"

"Mhm."

Jason carefully lowered Tim back to where he was playing on the floor. The older boy laid down on Tim's bed, fondly watching him play. Eventually, Jason dozed off. 

….

A small gust of wind was what had alerted Tim at first. He looked up to find his speedster friend standing in his room. His heart froze in his chest as Bart took in the situation in front of him. 

Tim considered calling for his big brother to wake up and deal with this, but then he noticed the metahuman's cheeks getting pinker by the second. 

Bart knelt down by his team leader, his face now the color of a pretty pink flower. "Can I play?" Bart asked. Tim was startled at how small Bart's voice was. Had it been like that before? He didn't think so. Tim was sure he would have noticed. Tim nodded and Bart began playing with a few legos. 

After a while of playing in silence, Bart looked to Tim again. "Hey uh, do you have any spares of these?" He asked, tapping the pacifier in Tim's mouth gently. 

Tim beamed. Bruce had gotten him way too many binkies when he went on a buying spree last time. Tim moved over to his nightstand drawer and pulled out a blue pacifier, still in its packaging. He handed it to Bart, who quickly opened the clear plastic packaging and popped it in his mouth. 

Tim moved over to his closet. He pulled out a shopping bag, one that he had got while out with Jason over a month ago. Tim removed the Sonic the Hedgehog jacket he had bought for Bart and presented it to the speedster. Bart let out a little gasp as he hurriedly put it on. It was much too big for Bart. The sleeves engulfed his hands and it had the effect of making the boy look smaller. 

"T'ank 'ou," Bart said around his pacifier. Tim nodded.

…

An hour later, Alfred would find three boys in Tim's bed. Tim was laying in the middle, asleep. Jason's arms were around his brother while Tim clung stubbornly to his teddy bear. Bart Allen was on the other side, watching Sonic the Hedgehog on Tim's tablet, which the other boy had left playing on the nightstand. Bart struggled to keep his eyes open. 

Alfred hoped they had enough to feed the speedster appetite as he woke the three boys for dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to continue this! If anyone has any suggestions, please drop them in the comments below!


End file.
